French and Saudi leaders will meet on Friday.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman | Pool photo by Athit Perawongmetha/AFP via Getty Images
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday, an Elysée official said Wednesday, without providing details on the goal of the visit.
In a statement released earlier Wednesday, the Saudi Royal Court said bin Salman was on his way to France for an “official visit.”
MBS will meet with Macron, participate in the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact held in Paris next week, and attend a reception in the French capital next Monday supporting Saudi Arabia’s candidacy to host the Expo 2030 world’s fair.
Relations between Paris and Riyadh are strong. The two leaders met for a working dinner in Paris last July, as France and Europe sought to find alternative energy suppliers amid Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The meeting sparked criticism from rights groups, as it took place during bin Salman’s first trip to Europe since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul — which was reportedly ordered by the crown prince himself, sparking international outrage.
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